Midnight Snack
by Dough-verload
Summary: Allura learns how Keith deals with his insomnia.


_I wrote this earlier this year but only recently decided to share it on here as well. Enjoy this short and sweet Kallura contribution._

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"Why are you awake?" Allura stood in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes scrutinizing; looking more like a sentinel than a princess. Keith stared back at her, his mouth half open and a spoon topped with green gel just inches away from his lips. He shut his mouth with a click of his teeth and lowered the spoon back to the plate, clearing his throat.

"I-uh," he said, "I was hungry." This was the fourth time this week he had woken up in this condition, but this was the first time he was actually confronted by someone awake at the same hour. He half expected to run into Lance or Hunk taking advantage of the dining hall during this time, not the Altean princess. Her long hair was loose and ruffled on one side and she squinted slightly in the glare of the overhead lights. It was apparent that she had been asleep only minutes before this encounter, and Keith hoped that his late night scrounging wasn't the reason she was awake now. She said nothing to his lame response, simply unfolding her arms and padding barefoot into the dining hall. Keith watched, a bit surprised as she pulled out another chair just across from him and sat down with a sigh. She was looking tiredly at his plate of food, the previous skepticism now vanished from her face.

"Is this normal for you humans," she started, "to eat even when you should be sleeping?"

"No… Not usually. It's just a midnight snack." Keith spoke without even considering the fact that floating through space didn't exactly proffer up the same kind of midnight that could be experienced back on earth. Allura hadn't taken notice of this, rather she knit her eyebrows together and pulled the plate of green food goo closer to her side of the table. Keith opened his mouth as she took the handle of his spoon, a bit confused as to why she would want to use the same utensil he had been, but she didn't take a bite, just pushed the goo around absentmindedly.

"I understand the food here is different than what you are used to." She said, eyes still downcast as she drew patterns in the goo with the spoon.

"It's fine." Keith assured. He was unnerved as to why Allura herself was awake, or why she would even bother to inquire into his late-night meal. Surely this wasn't the strangest earth habit she had witnessed from the Paladins? "Princess, why are you awake?"

"I'm afraid that my dreams have been…" she pondered over her choice of words before continuing, "a bit unsettling as of late, and I've found it hard to sleep while this war is still going on." She lifted the spoon and looked up at Keith. "Taking a walk through the castle helps clear my mind, but this 'midnight snack' idea is quite intriguing." She took a bite, chewing thoughtfully while Keith tried to formulate a reply through the small surprise that she didn't mind using the same spoon as him. She pushed the plate back towards him and then proffered the utensil, which he gently took and then filled with more goo.

"When I had nightmares back on earth I found that getting up to eat something usually helped." He told her before taking a bite.

"Did you have a bad dream tonight, then?" The plate and spoon were pushed back as Allura asked the question. Keith knew that the princess was one to ask whatever was on her mind, but her frankness in something so personal to him still caught him off guard.

"I guess, yeah." He said.

"Have you had these bad dreams before tonight?"

"A few."

"And you always come here after?"

"Sometimes I go to Red… She's good at late night talks." Keith chewed through his last bite of food, proffering the last of the goo to Allura. She was smiling a bit at the mention of his time spent bonding with his lion, and the sight of her tired grin brought the faintest tinge of red to his cheeks. She scooped up what was left on the plate and finished it, setting the spoon down with a quiet 'chink' and folding her hands on the table. They sat in silence for a while longer, both strangely content to say nothing. Eventually, Allura stood up from the table and made her way back to the door, placing her hand on the frame and turning to address Keith once more.

"Will I see you here again tomorrow night?" She asked.

"Yeah," Keith responded, "I'll be here." The Princess nodded and padded away into the dark hall, leaving Keith with red cheeks and his finished midnight snack


End file.
